Duo 900 sailing catamaran

From time to time a new yacht designer comes to our site,one such person is Bernd Kohler,a multihull design specialist of some note.I have to say he is better known than I had thought,as in just a few short weeks since we contacted him,we have sent kit boat quotes out to Germany,USA,Poland and Greece,all except the last country were for the KD860 sailing catermaran,with a new design,the Duo 900 being the new addition.This is a fast sailing demountable craft,so you can move it by road,then reassemble when next to the water,its easier to store at home for the same reason of course.For kit pricing on both the KD860,the Duo 900 please contact me.

Roy

The Perfect Cruising Yacht?

One of our HBYC members and last years Commodore,Justin Philips, has just posted the subject on the clubs web site,you will find it at http://www.hbyc.co.za/ ,its posted under 'Links' then HBYC seafarers forum.

The subject is a very interesting one,do we think large, or do we think small,I myself have never found it matters one bit,that you arrive at a destination in a large or small boat,its more a matter that you arrived? The Didi 34 http://www.dixdesign.com/ would be my first choice as a good cruising design,neither small or large,its a fast and safe passage maker,what you equip it with is the difference of course!

Roy

Hillman Imp full race inlet and exhaust manifolds

While we supply plywoods and epoxies,general related stuff,plus our list of boat kits,we also have other interests,mainly related to old cars,as may be seen if your a regular to this blog spot? One of my great interests is in the Rootes Car Company and their great design,the Hillman Imp http://www.theimpclub.co.uk/ this little gem was conceived back in the early 1960s and was released to the british public in May 1963, Prince Philip was one of the cars early drivers as was Cary Grant in the USA. The car was designed by Mike Parkes (Ferarri driver) and Tim Fry,two very young designers (26 and 24 years old) ,it was a car well ahead of its time. and given that it weighed just 710 kgs and had an all alloy four cylinder power plant with an engine size of just 875cc,based on a Coventry Climax engine, it was a pre design to all the Micro Cars we see today but Mike Parkes and Tim Fry came up with the design basics long before computers were the tools available to modern designers,proof indeed of their genius.

The car was a well recieved introduction to a world of humdrum designs,only the BMC Austin or Morris Mini could claim to be inovative at that time,once the motoring press had tested the new Hillman Imp it was clear to see that such a car had competion possiblities.It took the then world of private motor engine tuners,no time at all to develop tuning parts,one such company,Janspeed, was the best at producing a combined inlet and exhaust manifold,a sample of the exhaust side I have kept since my days when I raced a Hillman Imp in the Argus Championship,here in Cape Town around 1972.

Using the sample as a base tool,we have had a local specialist company fabricate a full race set of pipes to take two twin choke Webber dcoe 40's,with the exhaust side taken out below the carburetors.This is a trial set,itended to proove we can offer as good as is on offer anywhere else,if you need a set,or just the fabricated exhaust,either small or large bore,please contact me.

Roy roy@comlumber.com

Charlie Whipple launches his Sundowner!

Charlie has been building a John Welsford design called a Sundowner for the past two years or so,just recently the boat was launched and looks great sitting in its true element,even though its still tied up for the time being at a marina in New Zealand. John Welsford www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz designed this small offshore boat with the specific idea of Charlie sailing from New Zealand to Hawaai,then via Cape Horn (to port) and across the lower part of the South Atlantic Ocean to my home port,which is Hout Bay,in South Africa.The local yacht club Hout Bay Yacht Club http://www.hbyc.co.za/ already have Charlie on their Links pages and we are looking forwards to Charlie sailing in to our bay some time in the near future. CKD Boats will be looking to supply the Sundowner as a complete kit very soon,contact http://www.ckdboats.com/ for information. Charlies own site is at................. http://www.charlest.whipple.net/ he calls it his Tokyo West Blog !

Eureka!

Hello,

Eureka? thats a boat,not what Archimedes said in this case. We are plans agents to a tallented thin water boat design specialist Micheal Storer, who has a very nice looking canoe he named the ' Eureka ' ,the boat is really good looking and lightweight,with an option to supa light weight if we use 4mm ockume plys rather than the normal 6mm thickness.We have sold a set of plans to a chap called Gavin,he lives in the Knysna area, we have just supplied some building materials and Gavin will be starting his build soon,when he sends the build process pictures we will post them on the Blog page as he goes along.

Roy

Mr Moolman says goodbye to his 1922 Sunbeam

I have mentioned a very old car we found in the Namibian bush quite recently,well its now been re found and cleared of all the african bush that was growing around it,we are now told by experts in England,that its probably a 1922 or 1924 14 hp model,I looked it up and find they made and sold about 800 only and some 86 years ago,it is now the same age as Mr Moolman standing along side it!

We were extremly lucky to find what we did,my source of information (thanks Steve) said had last seen the car around 1994/5,so about fourteen years ago, what was there then was more or less still be to found,we have the cars chassis,engine and gearbox,back axle and drive shaft,five cast Iorn wheels,plus a set of fenders from the left hand side of the car.

Next will be to find the engine and chassis numbers,then check with known factory records to see what model the car really was,we do know that the Commisioner for Namibia was once known to have owned the car,if this is true I think we may be lucky in finding a picture or two in state records and newspapers,if we can find the commisioners family name we may even be able to do a search and try and find pictures the existing family may still have?

March 2010 this car has now been shipped to Eastern Germany,
Roy

Stainless Steel rigging wire takes a bath!

We have 16 meter long alloy mast in for a service, we have to strip the old paints and the anodised surface underneath off,then re paint with new type twin pack paints.One of the related jobs is to acid clean all 316 Stainless Steel parts from the mast,this includes the rigging wires,this sounds simple enough,we have the right water based acid,its very mild but given a long soak,all rust and dirt will be cleaned off,right into all those tiny crevices that a human hand or power tool just can not reach.

A mast this size has large diameter 316 rigging wire,in this case 8mm and 10mm,we coiled the wire as we removed it,the larger coils being around one meter in diameter,the next problem was to find a suitable container to use as a soaking bath,nothing I can think of was any place close to such a size,excepting a babys inflateable paddle pool but its winter here and none are to be found in our shops.The problem was solved in around one hours labour,using Superform flexible plywood 5mm thick and cross grain,we cut sections 220mm wide and to a full sheet length of 2440mm ,plus a shorter piece to make the 3320mm full length we needed,then we used a sheet of 16mm chipboard (partical board) and cut out a circle 1100mm in diameter,this was to be our 'baths ' base panel.The 5mm Superform ply was then epoxied and screwed to the base,the epoxy was then applied to the entire inside,base and sides,when its dry and a second coat of laminating epoxy applied it will be fully water proof.

Problem Solved!

Roy

The Certified Institute of Carpenters, now IOC

Back in the year 1466 a Grant of Arms was passed to what became The Carpenter's Company,this would have been the forerunner of the Certified Carpenters Guild I became a member of in 1968? the Carpenter's Company sheild is displayed at the top of this blog page.

For me and way back, when most working class guys,reckoned they were really given a break to be offered an apprenticship in one of the main trades, (1963) I was one of the lucky ones,having writen to five different companies in Liverpool,I was invited to an interview at a company called Tysons, situated at 5 Dryden Street,within walking distance of the city center.The interview must have gone ok as a letter from Mr Peter Tyson was duly recieved inviting me to start a trial period as a Joiner,which is another name for Carpenter on a general scale,my work was mainly in the Joinery shop making windows and doors,plus what ever contracts came in,being the largest joinery shop in our area,we never lacked for interesting work.

As a part of my five year apprentice contract,I had to agree to keep trade secrets and also go to college for at least three years,we did what was known as a Day Release,which means,we had to go to college one day a week during the period the college was doing its training terms.It was this extra training that really raised the bar in an apprentices period of training,we were given such a broad spectrum of issues to discuss and learn,that we went far past what was needed for our daily tasks in the joinery shop.

The years end always brought its annual exam,normally a thing to fear as far as I was concerned,I scraped through year one with a pass mark,that set me on the way as far as I was concerned, as passing exams was never one of my stronger points.Year one went on to year four,by which time I was now sitting a final exam,this was to gain a pass mark to what was called 'The London City of Guilds ' examination in Carpentry and Joinery,I passed with distinction,certainally prooving that post school education by lecturers who really care about their learners passing,not guys just going through the motion of turning up and doing the hours but learning little.One lecturer even declared on the first evenings of maths and related building studies,that if a person is not really interested in the course,please do him the favour of not turning up the following week,It worked,we all arrived the following week and I think we all passed too.

This was my final year as far as the education side was concerned,we still had a year to go in the apprentice scheme,except they then brought out a four year exit for those who wanted to become full time qualifieds,this was not so attractive to some,many never took the option expecting to be sacked as soon as they took the offer up? I took the offer and was kept on but at the full joiners rate of pay,17 pounds 10 shillings a week!

In that final year, 1968,some of us were asked to sit an outside exam which was hosted by what was then called 'The Institute of Certified Carpenters' I was one of twelve invited in the North West of England,also in my group was a good friend David Hassel ,we both managed a pass mark and then had the right to take up membership of the institute,this I did and duly paid my annual certificate of membership,paid to Carpenters Hall, 1 Throgmorton Avenue,EC2,which is in London. I was issued with a receipt number 1/40640 for the sum of 2 pounds 10 pence.Dated 3,3,1970.( my father actually paid this after my departure)

I then forgot all about it,emigrating to Cape Town,South Africa,late 1968 but my dad was wise enough to pay my subs for a while.Then in 2006 ,some 38 years after I had passed the entry exam,I was curious to see if the institute still existed,Google soon found the threads for me and I was soon having my membership renewed once more,excepting it is now called a more simple 'Institute of Carpenters',or IOC for short,the basis of the foundation of the institute goes back over 700 years and was given a Royal Charter to exist.

So here I am still a member,nearly forty years now,said to be the only IOC member in Africa and proud to post the institutes logos on my web site,I do hope that trade apprenticships become popular once more,its a fine thing to have and you will never lack for work,I rarely have anyway. Roy

Bernd Kohler KD860,a new designer kit offer

We recently had a request to do a price on a multihull that is new to us,its Bernd Kohler's very smart and neat KD860 design,thats only 28 feet 2 3/4 inches by the way,while the boat may be seen to be small,its actually quite large inside,it has two double beds,two heads,one galley and even a chart station,plus an inside lounge area and a very spacious cockpit.Its economical on engines too,just two 6hp outboards,Bernd asks that we use four strokes engines,I agree,while they may cost more they are so much more fuel efficient and the carbon emission on modern four stroke out boards is a fraction of two stokes engines.

Bernd supplies a really detailed Study Package file on the boat,it can be supplied by email very easily,we will use the materials list he supplies to do a kit price,this will be next week and will include all the plys,wood,epoxies,CNC pre cutting to the Bulkheads and Bridge Deck,contact me for information.Photos of the boat in the water and being built are available too.

Roy

News Flash! We now have the boat priced as a kit and as a trial indicator,we have also asked our shippers to prepare a cost to the USA,east coast,email me for any information at kits@ckdboats.com

Superform Bending ply as Beech Wood

We supply many boat builders with our Superform Bending plywoods,the end use is either to make boat hull plugs or for interior finishing,often to the required complex shapes that many modern boats can have.One such boat was launched just yesterday,its a Dean Cat 44,the interior was finished in solid Beech wood by the local boat building yard Nebe Boats,they were able to leave the Superform ply seat backs clear laquered in a natural colour,as the plys surface veneer is so similar to real Beech wood,have a look at the photo,I am sure you will agree.

Bronze fittings Nails and Screws

The subject of genuine Silicone Bronze fittings is not one that comes up often,as when prices are important,rather than using the genuine product,often we see customers choose stainless, brass or even plastics used instead but if you want the genuine artical we can supply from the stocks of the local importer,we will also supply in half or smaller packs when we can.Otherwise genuine 316 and 304 Stainless Steel fastners are made in South Africa,making them really cost effective,with all such fastners we sell per 100,we add a small surcharge for breaking and handling the pack lot up to supply you less?

Faryman Diesel engine,8hp,new

We bought a brand new Faryman diesel engine to install in a boat that never got built,we sold the kit instead! So the Faryman Single Cylinder 8hp diesel motor,is now for sale and at a very low price of R17,000 about U$2200 ex our works.The engine is brand new,its never been used or even installed in anything,it still has the makers tag lable on it telling you to put engine oil in it.The engine is water cooled and has an electric start and a hand crank too,there is no wire loom or alaternator,so you need to source that yourself if the end use is a boat? If its for a generator power plant,I assume you can use it as it is now.We also have a used marine forward and reverse gear box at R5000 (u$650),it looks about the right size for the Faryman engine?

24.4.08 News,this engine has now been sold.

Gebo Marine Deck Hatches

Our own use over many years of different makes of boat deck hatches has shown that the Gebo product(dutch) is as good as the best,as with other makes, Port Lights/Dead Lights are also available and included in the fitting instructions,you should find information on which type of marine sealant to use? Gebo recomened,as we do,only using Butyl Rubber Sealant,this type of sealant never dries hard and this means that even many years after you install a Deck Hatch or Portlight,you can remove it very easily,making service work a much easier job.We Stock and use a sealant made by another dutch company called Den Braven, a feature of using this sealant is it never goes hard in the 310ml application tube and cleaning up after installation is a simple mater of using a clean cloth and mineral turpentine.

Jabsco Marine Toilets

Of course no boat is quite complete without a nice new marine toilet,we use and highly recomend Jabsco loos,those supplied and fitted over the past seven years or so,have never given bother or needed a service kit,which should be available ex stock from the Jabsco importers.Two bowl sizes are on offer,what I will call a Mini size and the better option,the Regular size,space in most boats will allow the use of the Regular size,the difference in price being very little? We also supply the various marine sea cocks,anti siphon valves,marine grade hoses and also locally made 100% stainless hose clamps,beware buying those clamps with a hard steel set screw that is just bright galvanised,it will rust in very short time!

Harken South Africa

Harken have a good relationship with CKD Boats going back a number of years,at one stage we were importing Harken equipment direct from the USA,this is now done through a new local Harken South Africa store created a few years back,this simplifies the purchases for us and at least means we have a good supply of spares to hand,just like Yanmar,North Sails,Anderson winches,Garmin,Navman,Harken are just around the corner from our premises,so delivery is fast and reliable.